


Chocolates and Roses

by NagiraAkisa



Category: Todd Allison & the Petunia Violet
Genre: A very late Valentine & White Day Holiday Special, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Earnest Howard is an OC, F/M, Friend Chocolates, Friends been Friends, Friends to Lovers, I Tried, I'm Bad At Tagging, Penny-Shipping, Secret Admirer, Siblings Family Love, Some Characters have age decrement, The boy who pass Hana chocolate is Peter Bentham
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2018-09-26 20:15:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9920627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NagiraAkisa/pseuds/NagiraAkisa
Summary: It's Valentine's Day and Petunia had prepared boxes of chocolates for her closest friends. Unbeknownst to her, her gift will act as a catalyst to change her life.





	1. Chocolates for Him

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! I am so sorry for this very late holiday special story. I was busy with another fandom's V-Day special then work and social life was busy. But hey, I hope this long chapter would satisfy you all.
> 
> Also, I believe you all are aware of the discontinuation (or haitus, since it was Hive that archived the webcomic due to nozmo's lack of response) of TA&PV. And a few months ago, the webcomic was no longer accessible. I'm not gonna lie, my heart broke from both this news and it still hurts. It also discouraged me in writing fanfic of TA&PV, despite it been my only way to cope with the news. I guess I just find it hard to finish a final, good enough fanwork to publish online. I have multiple multi-chapter story ideas for TA&PV. However, with the lack of readers and other fanfics to focus on, I'll most likely not going to spend too much time on TA&PV. It really is a shame, for I wanted to start 'By the Cat's Side' so much. But... motivation just isn't enough. If you all want me to write more, a comment or a kudo would be great.
> 
> Anyway, this story is a Valentine's & White Day special. The 1st chapter is for V-Day and the next chap would hopefully be out by White Day (14th March). And finally! A Todd x Petunia fic! So, this story set in a modern university college alternate universe, where everything is peaceful. Do note that some characters have age decrement, mainly Elijah, Meredith and Todd at the moment, to fit in the AU. The precise age of other characters are not brought up cause it's not important, but everyone (other than Cyril) are in the age range for college & university.
> 
> I had tried my best but there might be some OOC and mistakes regarding of my grammar and writing skills. I'm improving my English, so do bear with me.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Todd Allison and the Petunia Violets. The only thing I own is this story.

"And... Done!" Petunia Elkwood exclaimed, tying the red ribbon onto the last wrapped chocolate box labeled 'For My Best Friend, Hana.'

Tomorrow would be 14 February. A day to confess one's love, strengthen one's existing love or remind the singles how lonely they are.

However, not all singles dislike this annual day of romance. Instead, Petunia loves it! There will be beautiful flowers, scrumptious chocolates, and if she's lucky, confessions or proposals to watch — she was a sucker for such cute scenes. It would be a day love fill the air, and Petunia relished from that thought.

She stood up from her dorm room's floor and examined the neatly wrapped boxes with a satisfied smile. That year would be the first time she gives out chocolates since the previous Valentine's Day fell on a weekend, and she was new to both Melbourne and college life. In one year's time, she made a lot of new friends, and a handful of them became close. Petunia was darn well excited to hand these chocolates out to them on the next day.

"How many did you prepare, Petunia?"

Petunia snapped out of her daze and turned to the source of the voice. It was from her dorm roommate, who was reading a book while lying down on the top bunk of the bunk bed.

"Nine. Oh~ I hope I didn't miss out anyone," the lavender-haired girl replied, turning to reread the names she wrote on the chocolate boxes.

"Nine?" The other girl echoed. "Gosh. That's a lot of crushes in just a year," she teased, causing Petunia's face to flush a light pink.

"It's not for that, Jacq! These are all for my friends and brothers."

"Oh?" Her roommate, Jacqueline Webster, got up into a sitting position, ignoring the strands of her maroon-purplish hair that escaped from her loose bun. "I didn't know you have brothers. Do tell."

Petunia picked up all the gifts and transferred them over to her desk before replied, "Um... Well, I have two brothers. My eldest sibling is called Elijah, 22 years old. The other one is called Meredith, 20 years old. I'm the youngest in the family at age 18."

"Elijah and Meredith. I bet they are good brothers since they'll be receiving chocolates from you," Jacqueline stated with a soft smile.

Petunia nodded. "Yup. But they tend to be quite overprotective — especially Elijah. How about you, Jacq? Any siblings?"

The girl in question shook her head. "Nah. I'm the only child. Although I have a friend who I considered as a little brother. Anyway, you sure one of those chocolates isn't for a crush? Minus your brothers', there are seven left."

The young woman blushed once more. "No, Jacq. They are for my close friends, that's all, no one special."

Jacqueline pouted, her sea-green eyes narrowed slightly. "Whatever you say, sweetie," she yawned, slid a bookmark between the pages and shut her book tight. "It's late now, shall we go to sleep?"

"Oh! Sure. Just let me put the chocolates into a bag," Petunia said and went to grab a tote bag she had prepared.

"Alright." Jacq released her hair bun, then laid back onto the mattress. "I'll be going to sleep first then. Remember to turn off the lights after you're done."

"Of course." Petunia placed each of the chocolate boxes carefully into the bag, moving them around to fit them all in. After that task, she made sure Jacqueline had dozed off before taking out a pack of white chocolates, wrapped with a red ribbon and a small card with her name and Valentine's Day greeting.

Quietly, she placed the gift onto Jacq's desk and turned off the lights in their room. Jacqueline would most likely sleep in the next day since her class was in the afternoon. Hopefully, she would like the gift she had left for her.

Petunia climbed into the bottom bunk and despite the excitement for the next day, she soon drifted off to sleep with a smile.

~*~*~ Chocolates & Roses ~*~*~

"Happy Valentine's Day!"

A Japanese girl dressed in a green dress unintentionally dropped her detective novel, startled by the sudden cheery shout. She quickly composed herself and glanced up, just in time to see her best friend advanced towards her with a smile larger than usual.

"Morning, Hana!" She chirped then plopped down onto the empty seat beside her.

"Morning to you too, Petunia," the noirette greeted back. "Well, you seem more energetic than usual. What's the cause?"

The Aboriginal Australian girl only smiled bigger. "It's Valentine's Day! That's why."

"Oh? What? Did someone give you chocolate already?" Hana Ikimoto pressed on, eager to know if someone had confessed to her friend.

Petunia shook her head. "Nah. I doubt I'll receive anything from anyone other than my brothers. Oh!" She reached a hand into the tote bag she had brought along and taken out a red and green wrapped box. "Here! This is for you. Happy Valentine's Day, Hana!" Petunia grinned, holding the chocolate out for the long-haired girl.

Hana stared at the box in astonishment. Like Petunia, she wasn't expecting to receive chocolate at all. "For me?" She accepted the box and read the card. Sure enough, her name was written on it.

"Yup! I always gave out friend chocolate throughout high school. I don't see why I should stop in college," Petunia grinned. "I hope you'll like it."

A genuine smile spread across Hana's face. "Of course! I love it! Thank you, Petunia. This is so sweet of you."

"It's nothing. I should thank you for being my friend. Oh, by the way, are you able to pass this to Norah later?" Petunia took out a pink wrapped box. "I don't know if I'll be able to pass it to her personally. Will she be having her shift today?"

"Sure. Today will be a busy day, she'll be there," Hana confirmed and took Norah's box before putting the chocolates into her bag.

"Thanks, Hana."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, causing all the students in the classroom to turned their head to it. The majority of them thought the lecturer had been early until they noticed the person who entered wasn't a teacher at all. A blond young man stepped in, looking unsure of himself. He gave everyone a sheepish smile then asked, "Um... Sorry. Is there a 'Hana Ikimoto' here?"

The young woman in question immediately felt all eyes fell upon her. "Yeah. That'll be me," Hana stood up and walked over to the student who shrank under her gaze. "What is it?"

The poor freckled boy began to stutter, "U-Um... Some-Someone told me to p-pass you t-this." Then, he took out an expensive-looking chocolate box wrapped with a red ribbon. The blond held it out to the noirette, but she didn't move a muscle to take it.

"Who's it from?" Hana finally asked.

"Um... He t-told me n-not to tell you. Oh! This is from him too." The blond quickly fished out a card and placed it on top of the box.

Hana eyed the chocolate once more. "Is this a prank?"

The young man fidgeted uncomfortably on his spot. "N-No! He called out at the front entrance and told me to pass these to you in this class. It's true, I swear!"

It took a moment but Hana finally grabbed the chocolate. "Fine. Whatever. Thanks. Scram."

He didn't need to be told twice. The blond nodded, turned and practically ran out from the room, glad and eager to escape from the woman's intense gaze.

"Who's it from, Hana?" Petunia questioned once her best friend sat back down onto her seat.

"I'll be damned if I know. Must be some creepy stalker since he knew what class I'll be having today," Hana frowned, examining the luxurious box. "There better not be a mini-bomb inside once I opened it."

Petunia stifled a laugh, amused by the imagination her friend got from her mystery and crime novels. "I'm sure the guy means well and just shy. Why don't you read the card he gave you?"

The noirette placed the box down, picked up the card and read it in her mind. However, instead of blushing or smile like anyone who received a letter from a secret admirer, Hana looked like she was about to kill someone. "Great. Just great. He knows where I work part-time too. Urgh, such a cheesy pick-up line."

Petunia took over the card and read out the content, "Hello Sweetie, the burger you served me the other day was great. But **_you_** are rare and well-done at the same time. Since you brought me lunch, shall I bring you to dinner someday? Signed… A hat?"

"Oh, don't read it out loud, Petunia," Hana groaned. "It's giving me nothing but goosebumps."

"Well, I find it okay; despite the puns and signed with a random drawing of a hat," the lavender-haired girl said, flipped the card over but found nothing of interest. "Seems like he is a customer of Rainbird. Remember anyone you served burger to?"

Hana snorted a laugh. "Oh please. I'm 100% sure he took that line from the internet. It's so overused; it's just annoying. And of course not! You have no idea how many people ordered burgers in a day! As if I'll remember each of their faces."

"What should you do with the chocolate then?" Petunia asked, handing the card back to her friend.

"I don't know," Hana sighed then picked up the box once more. "Not going to lie, but this brand is pricey. And from what I heard, these are good chocolate. Like, melt-on-your-tongue-and-tastes-like-heaven good."

"Why not keep it then?"

"Keep the chocolate given by an unknown, creepy stalker... Ha. If it isn't because they are expensive, I would have thrown them away right now. But, what would he thinks if he found out I kept it? He might think I have accepted his offer, which I totally not," the Japanese lady fussed, pressing a finger to her temple.

Petunia herself didn't know what to say, for she had never gotten into such a situation. "W-Well. He won't know if you hid it in your bag, right? He wouldn't be able to see it after all."

Hana was hesitant but slid the chocolate into her bag in the end. She gave the card one last read before throwing it into her bag with a disgusted look.

She might look repulsed and annoyed by the anonymous gift-giver, but Petunia knew her friend well; the black-haired girl was very curious about this guy's identity.

The next thing they knew, their lecturer entered the room and ushered everyone to sit down. Petunia followed the rest of her classmates and took out her notebook and pen from her school bag, ready to start the lesson.

She couldn't wait for lunch to come.

~*~*~ Chocolates & Roses ~*~*~

Petunia maneuvered through the crowd of students with one destination in mind — and it wasn't the cafeteria. Her second lesson of the day had just finished a few minutes ago, allowing her to have an hour and a half break before her next and final class. However, instead of getting her lunch, the young woman made her way to the front entrance of the campus.

"Wait! Cyril!"

A tall man with messy black hair looked up from his backpack and turned to face the approaching girl. A small smile spread across his face once he recognized her. "Well well. Isn't it the little detective? Lunch time?"

Petunia flushed pink at that nickname of hers. "Stop calling me that. It only happened once. Not to mention it was one year ago and wasn't that impressive."

Cyril chuckled. "Maybe. But it's still interesting to me. Anyway—" He cracked his neck and sighed when it let out a satisfying 'pop'. "—What can I help you before I end my shift here?" Cyril was a part-time security guard at the campus. His shift started in the early morning and ended at noon. Petunia was glad she caught up to him in time.

"I have something for you." The girl fumbled around the tote bag and pulled out the correct box. "Here you go! Happy Valentine's Day, Cyril!"

Just like Hana, Cyril was surprised by the sight of the chocolate box in his friend's hand. "Wow, detective. I didn't know you like me that much," he joked with a laugh and took his gift.

"You know fully well this is a 'friend chocolate', Cyril."

"I know, I know. It's just fun to mess with you. Milk chocolate?" The man asked while reading the simple card on the box.

"Yeah. I don't know do you like chocolate. So milk chocolate is the safest choice. If you don't, you can always give it to Landon," Petunia explained. For a second, she wondered if she should have gotten a small pack for Cyril's housemate. But then again, she had only met the redhead guy twice.

"Then here's a new info for you detective. I like my chocolate the way I like my coffee. Black," he grinned.

"You mean 'dark', right?"

The grin on his face died almost instantly. "You know what I meant. That line sounds cooler with 'Black' instead of 'Dark'. Made more sense too since there's no such thing as 'dark coffee'."

"Well, there's dark-roasted coffee, and the term 'black chocolate' doesn't exist either."

"Shut up."

Petunia couldn't help but let out a giggle. Cyril was right; It was fun messing with each other.

Wanted to change the subject, Cyril glanced around until he noticed the tote bag Petunia was carrying. "So, how many more chocolates you're giving out?" He questioned while extending a hand, trying to look into the bag.

Petunia swiped his hand away playfully. "These aren't for you, mister. As for your question, 6 more."

"Oh ho. That's quite a number. Well, are there any boxes inside that are _for_ you?"

Pink dusted across the girl's cheeks once more. "N-No. No one gave me anything."

"Oh, really? Geez... Valentine's Day in college is so much tamer than high school's. Does anyone get gifts at all?" Cyril asked curiously.

"There are; I have seen a handful of them on the way here," Petunia then added, "My friend, Hana, received one too."

"The mystery novel addict?"

Petunia pouted. "Don't be so mean. As if you yourself don't enjoy a couple of well-written crime novels."

"I wasn't trying to be mean," Cyril straightened up, cleared his throat then asked in a softer voice. "So, she received a gift from someone?"

The lavender-haired girl raised an eyebrow at Cyril's sudden change of tone. "Y-Yeah. One from me and another from an anon."

"Huh. Didn't expect someone to actually like her. Did she keep it?" Cyril shoved his hands into his pants pockets, something that left unnoticed by his friend.

"She did. The chocolate was expensive; it'll be such a shame to throw them away," Petunia answered.

"Ah, I see. Good for her then," Cyril stated then picked up his backpack. "Sorry, detective. I should head off to the tram station for my shift. Don't get into trouble, m'kay?"

Petunia quickly checked the time. "Oh, you're right. Sorry to hold you back so long, Cyril. And I won't. You, on the other hand, need to remember to eat lunch."

"Sure sure." Cyril smiled then ruffled her hair. "See ya tomorrow and thanks for the chocolate."

The girl pat her hair back to its normal tidiness as she called out, "Bye Cyril!" She watched her tall friend walked out of the campus ground and soon disappeared into the crowd of busy Melbourne citizen.

Petunia turned on her heels and made her way to the cafeteria. If she eats fast enough, she can distribute her gifts to another 3 friends of hers before they return to their dorm.

~*~*~ Chocolates & Roses ~*~*~

The faint sound of a violin was the first thing Petunia heard as she turned the corner and entered the hallway where the room her friends most possibly in was located.

As she neared her destination, the violin was accompanied by a piano and cello, playing a beautiful classical piece. She stopped in front of the door, not wanting to disturb their rehearsal. Petunia leaned gently onto the wall and waited, enjoying the harmonious music wafted into the corridor and her ears.

Eventually, the music came to an end and muffled talking took its place. Petunia took that as her cue to knock on the door.

Immediately, the talking ceased and footsteps advanced towards her direction. The door clicked open and she was faced by a slim dark-skinned male with shaggy dark brown hair. His initial bored expression turned into a mild surprise once he saw her. "Ducky?"

She smiled up at him with a wave. "Hey, Marcus! Long time no see. Dylan and Rolls are in there, right?"

As if to answer her question, another voice spoke from within the room. "Is that Petunia? Let her in, Marcus."

Marcus immediately swung the door wider and stepped aside for the girl to enter. Petunia sent him a 'thanks' after he closed the door behind her.

Petunia glanced around the music room. It was lit up by warm orange lights, which provided a sense of homeyness. One of the walls was covered with posters of instruments and famous musicians while the other two were lined with shelves where numerous musical instruments were kept in.

On the far end of the room sat a beautiful black grand piano with its lid raised. One chair was placed near the piano, and on it sat her friend, Roland, with his cello leaned against him. To his far right stood the so-called leader of the trio, tall, slim and dark-skinned like the other two guys, holding his beloved violin in one hand.

"Petunia!" The leader grinned. "It's been awhile. What brings you here to this side of campus?"

"Hi, Dylan. Hi, Rolls!" The lavender-haired girl greeted cheerfully, walking over to them. "You know why I'm here, Dylan. I did this every year when we're both back home in the Alice."

Dylan Springbell, the leader with light brown hair, perked up at her words. "Oh! I didn't think you would continue here in college. Alright then, where is it? In that bag?"

"Where is what?" Roland (AKA Rolls) asked, brushing a hand over his dirty-blonde hair in slight confusion.

"Be patient, you imp," Petunia playfully scolded Dylan with his childhood nickname from her, before gesturing Marcus to come closer. Then, she took out the chocolate boxes and passed it over to the correct recipient. When she was done, Dylan had a smug smile on his face, while both Marcus and Roland seems surprised. "Happy Valentine's Day to all three of you. I hope you'll like the chocolate."

"Aw Ducky, this is so sweet of you," Roland stated and Marcus nodded in agreement.

Petunia smiled wider. "It's nothing. I bet I'm not the first one to give you guys chocolate today. So, how many did you guys get?"

Marcus almost scoffed immediately. "Well…" He then made a sideway nod towards Dylan. "Ask him. Roland and I each only received 8 — including yours. But him on the other hand…"

Dylan grinned back, some of his teeth tinted brown by the milk & berries chocolate Petunia gave him. He swallowed the piece of chocolate in his mouth then promptly replied, in a rather proud tone, "30."

"30?! As in 'Three' 'Zero' Thirty?" The lavender-haired girl shouted in amazement.

Dylan only nodded, the smug smile still plastered on his face.

"Oh, man. That's a new record," Petunia mumbled, "And it's only noon."

Roland was the next one to cut into the conversation, "In my honest opinion, to receive isn't that much of a deal. What's important is whether Dylan has the courage to _give_ instead."

Dylan's smile dropped just when Marcus added, "Oh, are you thinking who I'm thinking?"

Petunia, who knew Dylan since she was a little girl, immediately perked up from the hints of something she thought would never happen. "Dylan has a crush?! Who? Who is she? Tell me, Marcus!"

A red-faced Dylan suddenly launched towards the pianist, wanted to stop him, but an amused, laughing Roland held him back just in time. "Oh, he always quarreled with her, even over the simplest of things. But you know what they said: Boys tease girls they like," Marcus snickered, ignoring Dylan shouting at him to shut up. "You should've seen his face when he heard she'll be receiving chocolates from someone. Boy, he is so jealous."

"Shut up, Marcus! Or I'll cut your tongue out!"

"What's her name, Marcus? Who is she?" Petunia urged on, she was deaf to her light-brown haired friend's shouting.

"Well…" Marcus sent Dylan a sneaky glance. "Her name…"

"Shut up! Stop, you imbecile!"

"Is…"

"Who?!"

"Stop! Petunia, he's lying!"

"No—"

RRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!

The clock rang one o'clock, interrupted their shouting and laughing. The loud ring had caught the four of them off-guard that it took a while for Petunia to register in what had happened.

"Oh no! My class starts now!" The girl yelled and frantically ran to the door. However, she stopped in her track once her hand gripped the handle. "Marcus, message me her name later, alright?"

Marcus nodded with a smile before Dylan broke free of Roland's grip and pounced onto him. "Oh no you won't, you—"

The rest of Dylan's sentence was muffled as Petunia left the room and hurriedly rushed to her final class.

~*~*~ Chocolates & Roses ~*~*~

"Darn it, Marcus really didn't send me the girl's name," Petunia muttered to herself as she checked her messages. "Gosh, Dylan. Why are you so secretive about this?"

The girl sighed and slipped her phone back into her pocket. School was finally finished for the day, and there are only 3 gifts left to give. Petunia continued her way, enjoying the scenery (and oh! A confession) outside the windows until she reached where her brothers would be.

The words 'Student Council' was etched into the door plate. After making sure a meeting wasn't going on inside, Petunia knocked the door thrice sharply, then waited for a reply.

"Come in," an unfamiliar voice called from within.

"Sorry for disturbing," Petunia said as she opened the door and let herself in.

The room was buzzing with talking, clean and brightly lit by the natural lighting from the windows. There were a number of desks in the room, each stacked with papers, folders, and some personal items. Most of the present members of the Student Council were either busy talking on their phones or discussing matters among a smaller group. Petunia glanced around the room but failed to spot her brothers. 'Where are they?'

"Any problem, Miss?" A voice coming from her right brought her back to reality. She turned and came to face with a tall young brunet. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as his Malibu blue eyes inspected her curiously.

"Oh! Sorry," Petunia gave his name card a quick glance. "Mr. Clancey."

"It's alright. How can I help you?" He asked, his tone gentle and kind.

"I am looking for my brothers. Elijah and Meredith Elkwood. Are they in?"

"Ah. The Indigenous Representative's sister. No wonder you looked familiar." The gentleman smiled and held out a hand for her to shake, which she accepted. "As you already know, my name's Lowell Clancey. But you can just call me Lowell. You're Petunia Elkwood, right?"

Petunia ended their handshake and brought the hand to her face in slight embarrassment. "A-Ah. Yes. Gosh, did my big brother announced my name to everyone here?"

Lowell let out a light-hearted chuckle. "If someone brought up the 'sister' topic accidentally, yes. But, I heard about you from another friend of mine."

'Huh?' The teen blinked thrice in confusion from the news. 'Who?'

"Anyway," Lowell's voice once again snapped her out of her mind. "Your brothers went for a monthly meeting about an hour ago. They should be back so—"

"— right. This event is important, so I wouldn't accept any mistakes. That's a—" The door clicked open behind her and the voice cut off.

Petunia turned around and saw none other than her eldest brother standing in the doorway. Behind him stood Meredith and other members, all of them were curious of why their leader had stopped at the doorway.

"Well, speaking of the devil." Lowell grinned and greeted the Aboriginal at the door. "Hey, Elijah. Your sister was just looking for you and Meredith."

"Petunia?" The lavender-haired teen heard Meredith's voice as the long-haired man tried to look past Elijah. But that wasn't her worry at the moment. What worried her was Elijah's facial expression: serious and staring right at her.

"Hi, Elijah—" Then, he suddenly strutted towards her and held her face firmly in both palms. "Elijah! W-Wait!"

But it was too late.

"PETUNIA! My sweet adorable darling fabulous beautiful angelic gorgeous dazzling radiant wonderful stunning talented BABY SISTER!" Petunia tried to escape from her brother's bear-like grip, but her attempt was fruitless as usual while he continued nuzzling her hair like a huge, affectionate cat. "I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you! Ahh!"

Finally, he stopped and pulled away to make eye contact with her. "Honeycake chocolate pie, why are you here? Don't tell me… Did someone bully you? Who is it? Is it Lennon? I'll cut that son of a —"

"Wait wait! Elijah, please listen. Relax, I'm fine. I'm not here to report or something like that, and I have not met Lennon since that day," Petunia promptly cut in before her brother blow a fuse. "I'm just here to pass you and Meredith something, alright?"

Almost immediately, Elijah Elkwood cooled down. "Oh, really? Well, that's good." He ran his fingers through his hair to tidy it up. "Gosh, for a moment I thought that Lennon kid is causing trouble again."

"It's nothing like that. Hello, Meredith," Petunia reassured then turned to her other brother, who had entered the room after Elijah grabbed her. The young man smiled a gentle smile and patted his beloved sister on the head. "It's so nice to see you, Petunia. But, like Elijah said, it's a surprise to see you here."

The girl could only laugh softly. "Ah, yes, well… I wasn't sure what classes you guys have today, so the Student Council is where you two would most likely be. I can't go to the boy's dorm after all."

"Silly Petunia, you could have text or call us. I'll answer you no matter what," Elijah cooed, smiling from ear to ear.

"R-Right. Anyway," Petunia took out her gifts then presented them to her brothers. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

It was at that moment Petunia regretted giving Elijah Valentine's Day chocolate in front of other people.

"My darling sweetest angelic amazing cupcake is giving me Valentine's Day chocolate?! Ahh! My heart burst with happiness!" Not caring that other members of the Student Council were watching the whole ordeal, Elijah picked his sister up jubilantly then twirled around, almost bumping into nearby furniture and knocking over important-looking documents.

"Elijah, stop! Put me down, please," Petunia pleaded as she spun. When her brother finally stopped, the world was still swirling in her vision, and her knees weak from the dizziness. If it wasn't for Meredith supporting her, her face would have kissed the floor the moment her feet contacted the ground.

"Oh! Let me give you yours now too." Petunia heard Elijah said before he rushed off to his desk. Once the world around her had finished spinning, she was greeted by a large, red heart-shaped box decorated with silky ribbons and frilly laces. On it, written in big, beautiful calligraphy was: I Love You, Petunia!

She felt her face went hot from embarrassment. She loves her brother, oh so very much. But the way he openly expressed his love to her and Meredith in public can be so embarrassing at times. The pink blush on her face turned redder as she felt all the eyes of the Council members fell upon them. "Elijah, you shouldn't have…"

"No No. My adorable angel deserves the best and only the best." Her eldest brother beamed.

'That wasn't what I really meant… But, oh well.' Petunia gave her brother a sincere smile and took the box. "Thank you, Elijah."

Elijah let out a shriek of delight then drew his sister into another tight hug. "You are so adorable!"

Petunia gave up trying to pry away thus simply waited for her brother to end the embrace. Once he did, Meredith stepped in and reminded the lavender-haired guy, "Elijah, we still need to wrap up everything after the meeting. Besides, I'm sure Petunia has other plans."

"Oh, yes. Of course. We need to finish up the meeting minute and send it to Mr. Hobbes," Elijah muttered, letting go of his sister and readied to return to his desk. "We have to send in before 5. Oh, blueberry muffin, stay safe, alright?"

"I will, Elijah. Go do your work." Petunia waved Elijah goodbye before turning to her other brother. "Thanks for stopping him, Meredith. He never knows when he goes overboard."

The black-haired young man only smiled. "It's nothing, sis. But I wasn't wrong, right? That you have other plans."

"Y-Yeah. You're not. How, though?" She asked curiously.

"The chocolate box in your bag," he pointed out. "Is it for a friend or someone gave it to you?"

"I-It's for a friend," Petunia told Meredith almost in a whisper, not wanting Elijah to overhear them then bombard her with questions about this 'friend' of hers.

Meredith nodded then patted her gently on the head again. "Alright then. Be safe, Petunia. I already sent my gift to your dorm, so remember to check it later, okay?"

"I will. Thank you, Meredith. Bye!" Petunia waved her brother goodbye then headed to the door, but she didn't leave before waving Lowell farewell as well.

Closing the door behind her, she placed Elijah's big gift into the tote bag and headed off to meet her close friend.

~*~*~ Chocolates & Roses ~*~*~

The Urban Horticulture buildings of the university college were situated at the far right corner of the campus due to the large land the course needed, thus it took Petunia a longer time to reach there from the main building. The number of students walking around decreased as she neared the structure, a sign that not many classes were held at that moment. However, Petunia continued onwards. She knew her friend well; he spent most of his time either in the dorm or at the gardens. In fact, he would have spent all his time in the greenhouse if it wasn't for the curfew.

Petunia entered the quiet building then made a beeline to the greenhouse. She had been there so many times she could walk there blindfolded. Soon, she exited via the side entrance and continued to the huge greenhouse. Since she wasn't a student of Urban Horticulture, she had no access to the glasshouse. Petunia pressed the buzzer provided for visitors such as herself and hoped her friend would be inside to let her in.

However, the person who approached the door wasn't her friend, but a tall blond she had never met before. He pressed a button on the inside to unlock the glass door before opened it with a friendly smile. "Hello. How can I be of assistance?"

Petunia greeted back. "H-Hello. I'm looking for a friend who studies here. Is Todd Allison in there?"

"Ah! Allison is in the rose garden; giving them a summer prune," the man answered, closing the door gently behind him. "Let me lead you there, miss."

"Oh, no. It's fine. I know where the rose garden is," Petunia rejected, but the blond insisted.

"It's not a problem. Besides, it's better if I show up with you, Allison can be quite… grumpy when he got interrupted during his work." The man informed as he led Petunia to the where her friend was.

The lavender-haired girl giggled when he addressed Todd Allison as 'grumpy'. "I know, and no doubt he'll make sure the interrupter know that he hates them."

"Oh, yes. He did. He's always so blunt and rather rude at times," sighed the man. "He's one of the top students we have here, but his… harsh personalities drove people away. I discussed with him once, but, it seems like he prefers to work solo anyway."

From that conversation, Petunia began to realize this young-looking man might not be a student like she thought he was. "Excuse me, sir. Are you Todd Allison's…"

"Teacher? Lecturer? Instructor?" He chuckled. "Why, yes. I am — one of them, that is. The name's Earnest Howard. And you, miss?"

"Petunia Elkwood," she introduced herself. "A student in General Studies, and a friend of Todd Allison's."

Howard nodded his head. "I see. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Elkwood." Then, he let out a laugh. "Oh, my. I'm relief to know that Allison did has friends here on campus."

Petunia knew Todd Allison can be quite antisocial. But, was it really so bad that even his teacher was worried? "Is… Does Todd Allison talks to his classmates, Mr. Howard?"

"Hmm… He does, when it is necessary. Other than that, I don't see him interacts with them much," Howard recalled. "I guess few of them can handle Allison's… straightforwardness as well." He turned to give her a smile. "But, like I said, I'm glad he made friends, even if they are outside of the course. A lady friend too, to boot."

Petunia only smiled and nodded, though she wasn't sure why Howard seems so cheerful, as if her being Todd's lady friend is something worth celebrating. Soon, they reached the rose garden. True to Howard's word, Todd Allison was there, pruning and checking the flowers with his back facing them.

"Seems like he hasn't left; being out there under the sun for almost an hour now. Allison!" Howard called out to the ginger, but Todd either didn't hear him or blatantly ignoring him as he continued his work. This must have happened more than once for the teacher continued without an ounce of annoyance in his tone. "You have a visitor, Allison!"

"If they're here to buy last minute flower, you can tell them to fuck off," Todd Allison grumbled, his gloved hands never stopped taking care of the roses. "The flowers are all finished, and these here are not for sale!"

"Sale?" Petunia asked curiously.

Howard chuckled. "Ah yes, since today is Valentine's Day, and some of the flowers need pruning. We thought we might as well sell the good ones to the students as fundraising. We sold the last of them around noon, but earlier, Allison stated that the pruning job on the roses wasn't good enough and decided to do it by himself."

Petunia nodded in understanding. Todd Allison has always been passionate about botany, and wouldn't take 'good enough' for an answer.

"They're not here to buy flowers, Allison! It's your friend, Ms. Petunia Elkwood," Howard shouted and the orange-haired man finally stopped in his task. He let go of the rose he was inspecting and stood up from his kneeling position before turning around to face them with a look of surprise.

The lavender-haired girl waved to him as Howard told her, "Alright. I have to go back to the greenhouse, so I'll leave you two. Remind him to rest, alright?"

"Of course. Thank you, Mr. Howard," Petunia thanked the teacher as he nodded her goodbye and left.

Petunia herself wasted no more time and jogged up to her friend. "Hello, Todd Allison!"

He wiped the sweats off his forehead with a gloved hand as he watched the girl approached him. "Hey, Petunia. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Oh, come on. I've been here to see you almost every day, why is today such a surprise?" Petunia giggled. "So, you have a problem with people coming to buy flowers from you?"

The ginger growled. "If they act like they can do whatever they want, then yes. We had the posters up days ago, stating the flower sale has limited quantities and it's also on the first-come-first-serve basis. But apparently, some imbeciles missed out on the sale and thought they could just take one or two for free by themselves."

"They tried to steal directly from the garden?" Petunia gasped, shocked by the audacity of those students.

Todd Allison nodded with a groan. "Caught them red-handed right here. They said they'll pay for it… As if I'll let them go so easily, especially after they had trampled on the plants just to 'get the good one'," he sighed and looked over to the roses, where a patch of its bushes are noticeably different from the others around. "Those bloody idiots better not showing their faces around here again."

Petunia smiled a small smile and gently placed a hand on his forearm to calm him down. "Cheer up. I believe they have learned their lessons. Here, I have something for you."

Pushed Elijah's gift aside, she grabbed the last box and handed it over to Todd. "This is for you. Happy Valentine's Day, Todd Allison!"

Todd's eyes snapped to the chocolate box in her hands. It was wrapped in a pink hearts and stars patterned paper, a simple red bow, and finished off with a small Valentine's Day card.

Silence fell upon the two young adults as neither of them made the next move.

Todd seems to hesitate, and Petunia wondered why. He looked distraught, but she wasn't sure of what. Soon, Petunia started to worry that she might have done something wrong. Was it because of the card? Did he somehow read it? She purposely put the message faced down, so he couldn't have… "T-Todd Allison?" She asked, almost in a whisper, but it managed to snap Todd out of his reverie.

"O-Oh! Um… Thank you, Petunia. It just caught me by surprise." Todd Allison accepted her gift with a rare smile, then added, "I didn't think of getting something for you today."

Petunia shook her head. "No, it's fine. I like giving out friend chocolate on Valentine's Day. I hope you'll like the one I picked out for you."

The smile on Todd's face faltered. "This is very thoughtful of you, Petunia, as always." Then it disappeared; back to his usual poker face.

Even though many of her friends had told her the same thing, Petunia felt her cheek warmed up from Todd Allison's praise. "It was nothing..." She let an embarrassed laugh, hoping Todd didn't notice her blush. "S-So, how's the pruning? Mr. Howard said you've been out here for almost an hour."

"He's right, but I'm actually done, just doing some final checking. If it wasn't because of those idiots and them stepped on the bushes, I would be done long ago. Dealing with them took awhile, the same goes to fixing up the bush." He walked over to the damaged area and pushed aside a thorny branch. "Fortunately, the damage wasn't disastrous, but they did snap several branches. I trimmed it as much as I could, it should continue growing just fine."

Petunia let out a sign as she noticed the crushed roses on the ground. She picked one of them up, only to frown sadly as a couple of petals fell off. "Poor roses; still so fragile despite all those thorns."

"Just like humans, don't they?"

That line captured Petunia's attention. "Huh? Why do you think so, Todd Allison?"

The ginger-haired man caressed a single bloomed rose before he continued, "Humans are like flowers. We all come in different shapes, sizes, colors and heights. Like flowers, we are all pretty, even if some people don't see the beauty." Todd grabbed the pruner, then snipped the rose off by its stem. "Some might be tougher than others, but we are all still fragile and vulnerable. Some people are like roses; covered in thorns to protect their fragile petals." He proceeded to clip off the thorns on the stem. "And our roots affect our growth, depending on the soil and dirt we lived through. But…"

Todd Allison placed the pruner down and twirled the short stem of red rose in his hand. After he was satisfied that the rose was thorn-free, he turned to his female companion. "But… what's most important, is that we need that one person in our life — our gardener — to take care of us, love us." He stretched out a hand and pushed a strand of loose hair from Petunia's face.

"Only then," Todd leaned in, decreasing the space between them, and tucked the rose behind her left ear. "We can grow and bloom beautifully like a flower ourselves." His hand slid off but hovered beside her cheek as if cupping it — just the slightest.

Their face was so close to each other; noses only inches apart. Petunia could feel his warm breath tickling her cheeks, causing her body temperature to rise higher than she thought possible. All the while, they stared into each other's windows to the soul, chetwode blue never leaving calico brown. He had something left to tell her, she knew he did. So, she waited, not trusting herself to move a muscle.

Todd opened his mouth, as if to say something, but closed them before anything could come out. His eyes broke away from hers and landed on her lips. Petunia felt her heart skipped a beat then thumped desperately hard in her ribcage. Surely her ribs would crack if this continues.

After what felt like an eternity, Todd Allison pulled away, and Petunia gasped quietly at the sudden loss of his warmth and presence. He turned and quickly gathered up as many loose rose branches in one hand, pruner in the other, and the chocolate she gave pinned underneath an arm.

Once he was done, he stood up and gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Petunia. I have to clean these up and report back to Mr. Howard." He bit his lower lip. "It'll take some time, so I think it's best you return to your dorm. U-Uh… Thank you for the chocolate and Happy Valentine's Day."

Without bidding farewell, Todd turned on his heels and quickly left the garden, giving a stunned Petunia no time to react and stop him if she wanted to.

It was three minutes later that Petunia finally came back to Earth. She gasped and shuddered at the memory of how near they were to each other, his gentle soft touch when he tucked the flower behind her ear and the moment his eyes traveled to her lips... Petunia felt the strength in her knees diminished, and soon found herself crouching down. Her heart continued to pound in her chest as she hugged her quivering form, trying to calm herself down.

They were so close… So close. One step was all it needed to change everything; for better or for worse.

"Oh, god…" She breathed. "Oh, god…"

She wanted it. After so long of knowing Todd Allison, she finally knew she wanted it to be true.

She had lied to Jacqueline, not all gifts are for her friends and brothers only. One of them was for a crush; for someone special to her.

Petunia gently touched the rose tucked in her hair, and hoped, just hoped that it was an answer to the question written on the Valentine's Day card: _Will you be my Valentine?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of this chapter. Thank you for reading.
> 
> I hope the story is interesting to you all so far. The next chapter would be from Todd's perspective and the closing of this fanfic.
> 
> I really don't know what else to say. So, I hope I will see you all in the next chap! See ya!


	2. ...will mean so much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, all! I am so sorry for this super late update! It's been more than a year! Time passed so fast. So sorry again! Life has been busy and I am also focusing on another fandom's story.
> 
> However, in the past year, I have decided to extend the story and added this chapter. I even had a Chapter 0.5 in mind, but still solidifying the plot. I hope this long chapter will be able to satisfy you after such a huge update-gap.
> 
> I tried my best but there might be some OOC and mistakes regarding of my grammar and writing skills. I'm still improving my English, so do bear with me. If you noticed any of the aforementioned grammar mistakes, you can either review or PM me about it. Constructive criticisms are always welcome.
> 
> Enjoy!

"No."

Lowell Clancey sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

The salt-and-pepper-haired man sat behind a dark mahogany desk raised an eyebrow at the male redhead's prompt answer. "Decided so quickly?"

The ginger man nodded. "Yes."

"I see… It's such a shame, Mr. Allison." The oldest man in the room stretched out a hand across his desk and adjusted the tilted nameplate that read — Rodney Hobbes. "From what I've heard from Mr. Clancey here–" he nodded his head towards the bespectacled brunet who sat beside the redhead. "–your ideas are very fascinating. I believe an addition such as you would make wonders to the whole institution."

Rodney Hobbes leaned back in his black leather chair and brought his hands to his chin, fingers together as if he was a cartoon villain plotting a scheme. "Are you certain you didn't want to join the Student Council as an… advisor of the sort?"

"Yes." The redhead repeated, earning a slow nod from the older man.

"I see. You just started your 2nd year here, am I correct, Mr. Allison?" Hobbes received a nod then a small smile spread across his face. "Then we still got time." He motioned the two seated men before him to stand, and Lowell quickly did as he was told before urging his friend to stand up faster.

"It was nice to finally meet you in person, Mr. Todd Allison. Mr. Clancey, I'll see you at the upcoming meeting. The two of you are dismissed," Hobbes stated, looking back down at his paperwork.

Lowell did a small, respectful bow. "Of course, Mr. Hobbes. Thank you." Then, he jabbed his elbow into the ginger man's side.

Todd muttered a small curse at Lowell's sudden attack, but he got the message. "U-Uh. Yeah. Thanks."

After a dismissing wave from Hobbes, the two young men left the office and shut the heavy door behind them. Once they were a distance away from the door, Lowell broke the silence between them. "Why didn't you accept the offer? It was a great opportunity, you know."

"It might be, but I'm not interested and have other projects to focus on," Todd answered with his usual scowl. "I'm still mad at you for telling Mr. Hobbes my complaints about this place. Who does that?! If I got kicked out because of this, I'm coming for you."

Lowell rolled his eyes but held a small apologetic smile on his face. "True; no one does that. However, your complaints — as you called them — are ideas on how to improve this school, as well as given us an insight into what is wrong and requires immediate action. This information is, in a sense, priceless. That was why I shared them with Mr. Hobbes. And trust me, Mr. Hobbes won't have students kicked out for such a petty reason; you'll have to do a lot worse than just verbal complaints."

Todd groaned lowly, brushing a hand through his hair. "Whatever. I'm going back to the Horticulture buildings."

"Sure. I have other things to attend to as well. See you next time, Todd Allison," Lowell bid his friend farewell, and they were off to their own different destination.

Todd Allison descended the stairs and made his way through the sea of students to the main building's nearest exit. The hallways were filled with freshmen chatting among themselves excitedly for their new college life, comparing schedules, making acquaintances or trying to find where their next class was.

Todd scowled at how loud the students were and quickened his steps, eager to return to the large, quiet garden he fell in love with when he first arrived. As he neared the entrance, a flash of lavender caught his eyes. He glanced over to the pastel color and his feet glued to the spot.

The chatter died away, the world around them blurred but  _that boy_ , standing under the sunlight shone in from the tall windows. Todd felt his heart jumped when he noticed he was looking at him too, but neither of them made a move, just staring at each other in surprise.

'He's not wearing his hat and jacket,' was the first thing Todd noticed about the lavender-haired boy as he took in his appearance. His hair was short and choppy, eyes in a shade of light blue, and dark-toned skin that contrast with his unusual hair color nicely. Unlike the first time they met, he now wore a pair of black and white earrings, a white blouse with lilac-colored cuffs and collar and… wait! Is that a skirt?! Wait! He is a  _she_?!

"You're a—"

BUMP!

"H-HEY!" Todd caught his footing then snapped, "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" Muttered another curse, he watched the student who had bumped forcefully into him ran down the hallway and disappeared among the crowd in a matter of seconds.

Todd tsked and was about to straighten his shirt when he noticed he was holding something that wasn't there before. He brought his hand up and examined the item in his grip. It was a… wallet? "What th—"

BUMP! THUD!

He heard a loud yelp and soon realized it was his own when he found himself crashed onto the hard tiled floor. The back of his head throbbed in pain, his vision blurred, and something heavy was pinning him down. Todd Allison felt the wallet snatched from his hand, and the weight above him shifted before removed themselves. Todd clutched his aching head with a hand, still dazed from the fall, when someone grabbed him by the front of his shirt, roughly pulling him up to his feet.

The tight fist around his shirt didn't loosen as he came face to face with the angry blond who had tackled him earlier. Hot annoyance pooled at the pit of his stomach, but Todd forced himself to stay calm. "Get your hand off me."

The male blond snarled, "Why the hell should I?! You stole my wallet and money, you thief!"

_W-What?!_  Todd furrowed his brows at the outburst, utterly confused as to what the man was yelling about. "What wallet? I've never seen you before!"

"Oh yeah? Then why was my wallet in your hand, huh?" The student — or at least that was what Todd assumed the guy to be — lifted his other hand to show a royal blue leather wallet; the same one Todd was holding only moments ago.

Oh.  _That_ wallet. He hadn't had the time to think about it himself earlier. Both of his hands were free. How did the wallet end up with him? Wait… "Someone shoved it to me," Todd muttered as realization dawned on him.

"What? Oh please, don't even try to lie. I saw you! I saw you ran away after you pickpocketed my wallet!" The student continued to shout, attracting more students to gather around them and watched the commotion.

Todd was glad he shared the same height with the student as he sent back a glare of his own. "I. Did.  **Not**."

The blond clenched his jaw so tightly, Todd wondered if his teeth were cracked. "Don't lie. I saw you ran away with my own eyes; donning a brown jacket and dark-colored trousers! Come on! My wallet in your hand and you're wearing the same outfit. It's YOU!"

"Now that's just plain bollocks! You can't just assume it was me from what I'm wearing! You didn't see the face!" Todd tried to pry the fingers off his collar but they were like iron.

"I know what I saw, so SHUT UP AND ADMIT IT, THIEF! GIVE ME BACK MY HUNDRED NOTE!"

The student tugged his wallet away and bundling his other fist into Todd's shirt, lifting him up to his toes. The collar constricted around his neck, and the student's knuckles pressed onto his windpipe, cutting off air.  _S-Shit!_  "Let go… of me, you… twat…"

"NOT UNTIL YOU ADMIT YOU STOLE MY MONEY!"

_Can't he see he's_ strangling  _me?!_  Todd gasped in a breath and clawed at the blond's iron fingers almost desperately as he felt his lungs began to burn.

"STOP! You're choking him!" Someone yelled, cut in-between them and shoved the blond away; freeing him. Todd Allison gasped when he landed on the floor, but the gasp quickly turned into a coughing fit as his lungs sucked in air. A hand moved up to his throat, rubbing a spot where the blond's knuckles had dug into the most.

"Oh my!" Todd heard someone rushed to his side before knelt down to help him sit up. A hand went to pat his back. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm  _*cough*_  fine  _*cough*_ ," Todd managed to utter and the coughing eventually ceased. He cleared his throat once before opening his eyes and froze. It was him — no —  _her_.

The worry on the lavender-haired girl's face melted into a smile. "That's a relief."

"HEY! What's your deal, girl?!" Todd turned his head to the source and remembered the mess he had been pulled in. The girl stood to her full height — although still short by a head — and confronted the fuming student.

"My deal is to stop you from hurting an innocent person any further. You were clearly choking the life out of him! Why did a smartly dressed man such as yourself tackle someone like a rugby player?" She informed, but only received an angry growl.

"None of your business. And innocent, my foot," the blond snarled. "He stole my wallet and took my money! Don't lie to protect him because you have a crush on him or something."

Light pink dusted across her cheeks but she responded firmly, "I am not lying and he did not steal your wallet either. I can prove it."

"Oh yeah? What is it then?"

Todd stood up to his feet, his eyes never left the back of the girl. Was she defending him?

The girl pointed a finger down the hallway behind her. "Firstly, he came from the west wing, while you came from the east. Secondly–" she folded her arms, eyes remained locked onto the blond, "–I saw the real thief shoved your wallet into this man's hands. He has dark-colored hair — bluish — and dark skin tone. He is indeed wearing a brown jacket and dark-colored pants, but the thief's trousers are in a near-black hue rather than dark brown. Finally," she paused momentarily and turned her head to give Todd a gentle smile. "He doesn't need to steal money at all."

Todd felt something unfamiliar in his chest and heat rose to his face.

A snort caused both to turn back to the blond.

"So you're saying someone framed him?" The student crossed his own arms, tilted his head with a raised eyebrow.

The girl nodded. "Yes."

"Why should I believe you?"

She smiled wider. "I know you won't believe me so easily. That's why we'll catch the real thief for you to prove it."

"What?!" Todd exclaimed, but it fell on deaf ears.

An amused smirk appeared on the blond's face. "You two? Really?"

She gave him a confident nod. "Yup. In fact, we'll find the culprit by today."

"WHAT?!" The redhead's shout was ignored once again.

"How can you be so sure?" The blond questioned.

"I just do. We'll contact you after he is found then report to the university staffs. Solely catching the thief is meaningless if he won't learn a lesson out of it," the girl explained, before bringing out her mobile phone. "Now, give me your phone number; to further prove that I'm not all talk and no action."

The blonde fished out his own phone from his neatly pressed pants' pocket. "Hmm... You're different; I like you. Fine, I'll give you a chance. Add your number to mine and I'll do the same to yours.

The girl nodded, and they traded phone, adding themselves to the contact before returning it. The blond checked her entry and chuckled as he read out, "Elkwood. Last name, I presume? No first name?"

The girl shook her head. "I don't think it's necessary for you to know. But thank you for giving us a chance, Mr.–" she looked down at her phone's screen. "–Lennon."

"You can call me by my first name," the blond told her with a smirk.

Todd Allison noticed the lavender-haired girl took a step back before she replied, "I think Mr. Lennon is just fine." She slipped her phone back into her skirt's pocket and turned to him. "Let's go. We have a thief to find."

"Wha—"

Without another word, she grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him along, down the west hallway where he first came from, leaving Lennon behind.

For such a petite-looking girl, she was fast and Todd found himself trying to keep up with her pace at times. Throughout the whole… dragging, he didn't utter a single word — couldn't actually, for he hadn't fully comprehended everything that had happened.

He wanted to scold the girl for dragging him into this 'wallet thief hunt', but hesitated. She stood up for him. She didn't have to, yet she did, even though she was visibly uncomfortable confronting the taller blond. Bloody hell, if he was her earlier, that sudden change in Lennon's attitude at the end would have unnerved him too.

After making a few turns, down more hallways and entered another building connected to the main one, Todd Allison pulled her to a stop. "Slow down, Elkwood."

She did and gave him a questioning look, but let go of his wrist nonetheless. "We're far enough. Come, we need to talk," Todd instructed, and she followed him wordlessly. They didn't go far for they soon reached the inner courtyard of the building. He led them over to an empty garden bench and the two of them made themselves comfortable on the hard smooth wood, feeling drained from the incident earlier.

For the next few minutes, they stayed silent, listening to the sound of chirping birds and running water from the fountain situated in the center of the courtyard. It was later in the morning, so there were fewer students around; most of them had started their first class.

As much as he loved and wanted the comfortable silence to continue, he knew he had to bring up the mess they were — well, he was — in. He sighed and sat up straighter. "Elkwood."

"Hmm?" The girl simply responded, leaning back on the bench with her fingers laced on her laps, gazing up at the clear blue sky.

How… What should he say? Todd shifted slightly in his spot. "U-Um… Thank you," he managed, "for helping me back there."

Elkwood finally tore her eye away and turned her head to face him. She smiled. "It was nothing. You helped me before after all; repaying is only natural."

"Right…" He did. "Well… since the repayment is done, you should head to your class before you're in trouble."

"Wait! I can't do that!" Elkwood exclaimed, pushing herself off the backrest to face him fully.

"Why not?"

She furrowed her brows. "We agreed to Lennon that we'll catch the thief, didn't we? We can't break that promise; Lennon will call me if we do!"

"You gave him your  _real_  number?!"

"U-Uh… Yeah?"

Todd Allison dragged a hand across his face as he let out a low groan. He didn't know whether to call this girl foolish for giving a stranger her phone number or trustworthy for keeping her words. He drew in a deep breath before removing his hand. What else can he do? "You  _really_  want to catch this thief?"

"Yeah. Why not? It's the only way to prove your innocence," she said matter-of-factly with a small grin.

_Why is she doing all these for me?_  The same feeling Todd felt from before emerged again, but he suppressed it. "How about your class?"

The lavender-haired girl shook her head. "None today. But I have three tomorrow that's why we have to catch him by today!" Then, her eyes widened as she realized something. "Do  _you_  have classes today, sir?"

_Sir?!_  Bloody hell, he felt 10 years older for a second. "Lucky for you, I don't. And please don't call me 'sir'."

Elkwood tilted her head innocently to the side. "Well… You never told me your name."

Oh. Right… "Allison. It's Allison."

She perked up. "Allison?" A giggle rang out like a bell. "Surely that's not your given name, right?"

"Of course not," Todd replied, cheeks flushed a light red.

"Then what is it?"

"Since I don't know yours, I think we're even."

She pouted at his reply, and Todd couldn't help but gave her a victorious lopsided smile.

"Fine! It's not important at the moment anyway." Elkwood bounced back to her feet and did a little stretch. "Since we're both free today, we can hunt for the thief!"

"How in the heavens are we supposed to find one person on such a huge campus?" Todd stood up as well.

Elkwood kept the happy-go-lucky smile on her face and said, "We'll just have to ask around, don't we?"

Todd didn't show it, but he was cursing internally at how lost they were. "No plan?"

"Not really. But, since the thief has bluish hair, I'll say the chance of finding him is high."

She had a point unless she had gotten the hair color wrong, which he prayed she didn't. "I truly hope so…"

"I know so. Come on, Allison!" Within a heartbeat, she looped an arm around his and pulled him along. "We can start by asking the students first!"

Todd Allison let out one last groan before allowing himself to be led away. It was from that moment he knew this strange lavender-haired girl would be the death of him.

* * *

 

It turned out asking students wasn't that great of an idea. The incident had happened quite some time ago and any possible witnesses were a long time gone. After questioning a handful of students around the 'crime scene' and received nothing useful, the two young adults knew they need a change of plan.

"Seems like Plan A didn't work as much as we hoped," Elkwood stated and joined Todd Allison by his side.

The redhead nodded. "Yeah. 15 minutes and all I got are not enough to provide us any further clues."

"Same here," Elkwood sighed, tapping her chin in thought as she glanced around the partially empty hallway. She looked up at the ceiling and stopped before tugged Todd by the sleeve urgently. "Allison. Look."

He followed where Elkwood pointed to and froze at the sight. "Is that…?"

A smile spread across the girl's face. "I think it is."

A security camera was mounted on the eggshell-colored ceiling. Its unblinking eye recorded the hopeful smile on two students' faces before the girl gripped onto the boy's hand, turned and both disappeared off camera.

* * *

"I'm sorry. But we can't simply let students view the security videos," the security guard told them in a bored tone, leaning lazily against the doorframe to the room where the evidence Todd and Elkwood desperately needed was.

"Please, sir? This is urgent," Elkwood pleaded. "We can't reveal the thief's identity unless we watch the recording."

But the late-twenties-looking guard denied them access once more. "Nope. Sorry, little girl. If the robbery did happen, I suggest you report it to the On-Campus Police Department. Let them do the investigation, not you."

"Police Department?" Todd enquired, and the guard nodded.

"Aye. The Police Department; PD for short. This is no longer high school, kids. The land is larger, the number of students tripled or even quadrupled, so the institution takes incidents of all kind very seriously. We have the PD and FD — that's the Fire Department by the way — here on campus to tackle the crime, fire and safety reports." The guard stifled a yawn then crossed his arms. "So, why don't you guys head to them? I'm sure they'll help you catch the thief in no time."

Both Todd and Elkwood shared a look, silently contemplating their next course of action. Strangely, despite already spent a full year in the university, this was the first time Todd knew about the Police Department's existence. It was either his first year had been a very peaceful one, or the university college failed to remind freshmen who they can report incidents to. He pretty sure it was the latter.

Now, the whole situation was different. Todd reckoned that they should do as the guard suggested and report the whole thing to the PD. The idea of cluelessly tracking down the thief themselves was quite a silly one once Todd Allison thoroughly thought about it.

"Elkwood," he started, "maybe we should do as he said."

The lavender-haired girl sighed, "That'll be the best, I guess…"

The droop of his companion's shoulders didn't escape Todd's notice, "You alright, Elkwood?"

She looked up at him with a small smile and nodded. "Yeah. Totally. I'm fine."

It didn't take a genius to know that smile was forced.

"I know you aren't, Elk—" Todd's sentence was cut off by a sharp, merry whistling. They turned to the source and saw someone approaching them from down the hallway. He was another security guard; easily identifiable by the gray half-sleeve uniform shirt, yellow emblem, and black pants. This guard, however, wore black combat boots instead of the dress shoe in their dress code. Also, this man is tall; a few inches taller than Todd. However, what unnerved the redhead most was the way he held himself; something about him just scream 'Don't mess with me or I'll mess you up big time'. Instinctively, Todd Allison took a step in front of Elkwood.

As the new guard came closer, the whistling died off, his footsteps echoed through the hallway until he stopped beside his colleague. He gave the two students a curious look before turning over to the brunet guard. "Hey, Leony. What are these kids doing here?"

The first guard scowled at the black-haired man. "Stop calling me that, Cyril. It's Leonel. Leonel."

But the new guard, Cyril, simply waved off his annoyance. "Yeah, yeah, Leony. Just tell me why are they here."

Leonel rolled his eyes with a grunt then briefed, "They're asking for permission to watch the security footages. Mentioning they need to identify someone who had stolen a student's wallet and tried to frame it on the ginger here."

Todd Allison frowned while the guards conversed, not liking how they were treating him and Elkwood like some thumb-sucking 3 years olds.

"Really?" Cyril perked up. "Stealing in plain daylight  _and_  on the first week of the new intake? Whoever this kid is, he either has a lot of guts or a tiny brain. Well… could be both too."

"Yeah… whatever. I told them to report to the PD." Leonel shifted his eyes over to them. "They should be leaving  _very_  soon."

He was clearly telling them to leave, and frankly, Todd didn't feel like staying another minute longer too. He sent Leonel a glare before placed a gentle arm around Elkwood's shoulder. "Yes, we are. Thank you." He was about to lead them away when the new guard interjected, "Hey, wait! Don't leave just yet, kids. Leony."

"I said don't call me-"

"Let them watch the videos."

The three of them froze to their spot, gaping at the black-haired man as if he had grown a second head.

"W-what?" Leonel managed.

"Let them watch the videos. They want to catch the thief, right? Well, let them." Cyril simply said.

Todd swore Leonel was about to blow a fuse from how red his face had become. "Are you kidding me, Cyril?! You're only a patrol guard —  _part-time_ , might I add — you can't tell me what to do! I'm simply doing my job by not letting unauthorized individuals watch the footages. If they want the thief to be caught, then they should go tell the PD; it's their jobs!"

"I know what's my position, Leonel. And I also know what's my job: take necessary action when encountering any suspicious activity and resolve the problem quickly." Cyril gave Leonel a smirk. "Now, I received a report on a robbery in the school premises, and we have no idea whether this thief is a student or an outsider. If it is the latter, it would be a serious matter. I can't possibly not do anything when I know there's a possible danger among the students, can I? It wouldn't be good if something does happen, and  _someone_  found out a certain  _person_  didn't do something that could have prevented it, right?"

Leonel kept the frown on his face, but it was clear he understood what Cyril was implying. "What if the robbery didn't even happen?"

Cyril shrugged. "Then we'll find out after watching the video."

The brunet guard muttered a low curse but finally stepped aside from the door. "5 minutes. I give you guys 5 minutes to find and watch the videos. After the time's up, scram and don't ever think of telling this to anyone, or else I'll come find you."

However, his threat was not taken seriously by the taller guard. "Sure thing,  _liebling_. Come on." He turned and called out to the two students, who startled by his sudden address. An amused smile spread across his face. "You kids need to watch, right?"

Todd and Elkwood nodded meekly.

"Then come on in," Cyril instructed and stepped into the security camera room after beckoning them to follow.

The two young adults hesitated but entered the room nonetheless.

The security room wasn't very spacious, but it was big enough to fit the walls with rows after rows of computer screens, a table with papers and tools, and two office chairs. There was just enough space left to allow in 2 more people comfortably.

Cyril sat in one of the chairs and pulled a set of mouse and keyboard closer to him. "So, which camera you kids want to watch?"

"The hallway of this building's main entrance," Elkwood informed, and the guard began to search through the multiple screens for the correct one.

"Alright. Found it. Time?"

Elkwood gave him the approximated time and watched as Cyril set in the data. With a flicker, the bottom screen on their left displayed a hallway filled with a sea of students, calmly walking up, down and disappeared off camera.

"This is before the incident," Todd observed.

"Then we'll just fast-forward it," Cyril said and with a few clicks of the mouse, the footage did as he commanded. The two young adults kept a close eye on the fast-moving picture until Elkwood yelled, "Stop! Rewind it just a little."

The guard did as she told, playing the video back frame by frame until he himself noticed it as well. He paused the video at the frame right after the thief bumped into Todd, but before he could run off camera.

"That's him," Elkwood said confidently. "I'm sure of it."

"I'm not surprised he's the thief then; I recognized that kid," Cyril stated.

"Really?!" Elkwood yelped in excitement and rushed to the guard's side. "Who is he? Is he a student here?"

"Student? More like an amateur delinquent; smoking in the buildings, skipping classes, and even spotted gambling once on the roof. That last one earned him a suspension, due to, and I quote: 'not enough proof that money was involved in what could be a simple card game'. But this–" Cyril pointed to the frozen footage, "–will land him either another suspension or expulsion. But I'm pretty sure this guy will get kicked out for sure."

At that moment, Todd Allison remembered his conversation with Lowell Clancey earlier in the day and wondered does thievery and frame-up considered as 'a lot worse'.

"So you know his name then? Do you know where he might be now? Or maybe his dorm room number? Or—" Elkwood's stream of questions got cut off when the security guard suddenly shot a hand up, a sign telling her to get silent.

"Hush, girl. Don't waste all your energy now," the black-haired man said as he plugged a cable from the computer into his smartphone, then proceeded to type and click away at the computer. While he worked, Todd Allison and Elkwood stood and watched quietly at the side, giving each other a curious look; wondering what the guard could be doing.

It felt like hours had passed in the little security camera room until Leonel barged in unannounced. "Alright, Cyril. 5 minutes are up. Get out. All of you."

"Chill, Leony. We're done here. No need to get your grundies in a twist," Cyril snickered, set the screen back to showing live footages then unplugged his phone. Standing up, he slid the device back into his pocket and urged the two students, "Come on, kids. Out, out."

The two young adults did as they were told, but Todd exited the room with a frown on his face. He really didn't like the guards treating them as if they were little children. Elkwood, on the other hand, didn't seem to care as she was back bombarding the tall guard with questions. "What did you do back there? Do you have more information on the thief? Oh! What is his name? What are his class schedules?"

The security guard merely chuckled at the lavender-haired girl's liveliness before he spoke, "Calm down, will you? You're acting like an overenergetic puppy. So excited to be a detective, huh?"

"What?" Todd muttered to himself, but when Elkwood froze and flushed a light pink, he pieced the puzzles together. The reason she was so keen on finding the thief, why she was crestfallen when he suggested handing the case over to the PD, it was all because... "The only reason you help me is that you want to play detective?"

The blush on her face darkened as she defended herself, "N-No! I really want to repay you! Trust me on that! I-It's just… the thought of catching the thief… I…" Elkwood stuttered, not knowing what else to say.

Todd himself was silent too. A part of him felt used and his chest tightened at that thought.

The atmosphere immediately turned so tense it was almost palpable. Neither of them made a sound or move until Cyril spoke out, "Why the sudden silence, kids? Aren't you two eager to catch the culprit?"

"E-Erm…" Elkwood uttered, tapping her fingers together.

The tall guard looked over to Todd and noticed the strain feature across his face. "Are you angry at her?"

"W-What? No, I'm not!" Todd rebuked, "And why does it matter to you?"

"Of course it matters, cause I know where the thief is and I don't want to bring along a bloke who is angry at someone who went out of their way to help them. She's doing you a favor, so why can't you return the kindness by letting her have a moment of fun by being a detective, huh?" Cyril questioned back, his tone low and firm.

Todd bit his inner cheek as he glared at the tall man. But he stayed silent, for a part of him want to agree with everything he said. However, a tiny voice chanting in his head made him hesitate.  _She's using you. She's using you. She's using you. Just like_ he  _did._

"You know what," Cyril's voice somehow hushed the inner voice, "if you decide to be cranky for the rest of the day, then I'll take missy here to the thief myself. We'll tell the Student Council staff to call you later after we finished the job. Come on, lady." The guard gestured the lavender-haired girl to follow him and Todd noticed how distraught she was, glancing between the two of them, not knowing whether to stay or leave.

_Gentlemen do not leave their lady friends alone with strangers. Oh, don't give me that look. Okay, I know you never care about been a gentleman or not, but you are a guy and should protect your female friends. Not that I'm saying girls can't protect themselves and all, cause I totally can protect myself, but it's more of a… it shows you at least care for them, you know? Despite how strong some girls look, I bet most of them would find it endearing that someone is looking out for them. Stop frowning! Gosh, if your face freezes up like that, you'll end up single, grumpy and alone forever!_

Damn it… Why did her stupid advice just have to pop up now?

"I'll stay." "I'll go."

Todd Allison froze and looked over to Elkwood, who was looking back at him as well, the flustered pink remained on her face. "Did you just say you'll stay?"

Elkwood broke their eye contact in what seems like nervousness and nodded. "Y-Yes. I'm very sorry if I made you feel like I'm taking advantage of your misfortune. I didn't mean it. I swear I don't!" She wet her lips then continued, "And now that Mr. Cyril knows where the thief is, I'm sure he can apprehend him alone. We could wait for him at the Student Council office. I'm…"

The girl took in a deep breath, turned to lock eyes with him yet again, then bowed deeply. "I'm sorry for my behavior!"

Todd Allison could only blink, dumbfounded by the girl's action and words. She said them so passionately, so… genuine.

"E-Elkwood," he finally managed, "it's alright. I forgive you, you don't need to bow."

The girl seems hesitant to do so, thus only lifted her head. "You… really forgive me?"

"Yes. Come on, you can stand up now." Todd urged, approaching Elkwood to help her up.

The uncertainty on Elkwood's face was soon replaced by a small smile. "Thank you, Allison." Once again, Todd felt the unfamiliar feeling bloomed in his chest and the tiny voice died.

"Great." Cyril grinned as the two students jumped apart from each other with a faint blush, remembered they were being watched. "Now that this is settled, we should get going. It wouldn't be good if he left now, would it?" The guard let out a low chuckle, turned on his heel and walked off.

Todd and Elkwood shared one last look at each other before followed behind the security guard and towards God knows where.

* * *

After traversed down hallways, out the building and further up to the West side of the campus, the unlikely trio found themselves nearing another structure with neat floras planted around the tall building. Todd Allison glanced around and observed that the number of students walking about was little. Was it because it's nearing noon or…?

"What building is this for, Mr. Cyril?" Elkwood asked the patrol guard, unknowingly taking the words out of the ginger's mouth.

"Journalism," the tall man answered, leading the two young adults to the side of the building. "You two probably noticed the lack of students around. Few people are passionate enough to stick around for the whole course; averagely about half of each intake ended up choosing something else." Cyril motioned them to stick close to him before crept onwards, towards the back of the structure. "Because of that, our target always comes here to slack off; up on the tree sleeping or hide among the bushes for a smoke."

"So you mean this place is his hiding spot?" Elkwood questioned, lifting her skirt to avoid them being snagged by any stray branches.

"Yup." Cyril nodded then stopped in his track. He held an index finger up to his lips, then turned to peek from the edge of the wall. He must have hit the jackpot, for he grinned before motioned Todd and Elkwood to check out what he saw.

Mirrored the guard's quiet steps, the two young adults peered into the back of the building and true to his words, the thief was there; leaning against the trunk of an old tree, puffing away at a cigarette, oblivious to the three people spying on him.

"That him!" Elkwood hissed, trying her best to keep her excitement down. Todd simply nodded in confirmation.

"Alright," Cyril whispered, "Now, here's the plan: I already copied the footage evidence to my phone, so I'll head over, start a conversation with him, then—"

The guard was cut off by the sight of a girl strutted up to the delinquent. A girl with short, lavender-colored hair…

Both Cyril and Todd instantly looked around. Sure enough; Elkwood was no longer with them.

"Hey, you!" The men heard the girl yelled and turned their head just in time to see Elkwood standing beside the thief, a hand rested on her hip while another one was pointing at the blue-haired man accusingly.

"Good God, Elkwood!" Todd breathed while Cyril let out a low groan.

The delinquent gave Elkwood a surprised, befuddled look, his cigarette laid forgotten between his fingers. "Wh-What… Who the hell are  _you_?"

Elkwood's fierce expression didn't flatter as she jabbed her index finger in the man's direction. "There's no need for you to hide now; we got evidence! So I suggest you confessed your crime to the Student Council and return what you have stolen!"

The man blinked twice then stood to his full height. His coffin nail landed on the grass and snuffed beneath his boot. "Are you accusing me of stealing, little girl?"

Elkwood crossed her arms and held her ground like the stubborn girl she could be. "I'm not accusing. I  _know_  you have stolen money! And how dare you try to frame it on someone else!"

"What?! I did no such things!"

"Chris… Just when I thought this job could be easier…" Cyril muttered under his breath and moved to approach the duo. However, his movement caught the blue-haired student's attention. He tore his eyes away from Elkwood and once they landed on the guard, he bolted.

Elkwood yelped in surprise as the student suddenly pushed her aside and ran off. But she wasn't letting him get away that easily. "Hey! Stop!" In the next heartbeat, she ran off after him.

"God damn it!" Cyril cursed before chasing after them as well. Todd Allison followed his action.

* * *

The thief darted into the Journalism building, hoping to lose his pursuers within. However, the pink-haired girl was faster than he expected, hunting him down as though she was a dog in her past life. The number of students in the building wasn't in his favor either; he couldn't blend in and escape as easily as before.

Making a sharp turn, the blue-haired man dashed down the hallway and ran for the stairs. He had secretly copied a key for one of the rooms on the top floor. If he could just make it there…

"Stop! I've got you!" He was almost at the stair landing when he felt something — or someone — grabbed him by his left leg, tugging him back. He cursed as he almost stumbled, but his grip on the railing held him up. The delinquent turned to see who held him back, no surprise, it was that strange girl.

"Let me go!" He yelled, struggling against her tight grips.

"No!" She shouted back, her fingers dug a little deeper into his pants. "Not until Mr. Cyril come and catch you or you confess your crime!"

"Never!" Right after that, they heard two sets of legs running towards them. The thief glanced up and sure enough, the security guard was getting closer. "Good job, kid! Hang on just a little more!" The guard called out, an amused tone was evident in his voice.

Oh no no no. He refused to get caught due to a tiny, little girl! The delinquent shook his trapped leg wildly, catching the girl off-guard, but she remained latched on tight.

He could hear the guard getting closer. The shaking turned into kicking, aiming at the lavender-haired girl's form. He managed to hit her twice on the hips, but she avoided his kicks by twisting her body to the point he couldn't do any real damage to her.

The guard was halfway up the stairs. "I. Said. Let. Go!" He drew his leg back as much as he could and kicked. Maybe her grips had loosened among the struggling, maybe the arrival of the guard had distracted her, whatever the reason was, she didn't dodge his boot in time and received the full kick to her stomach.

She let out a painful scream, her clutch on him was finally gone, and her body fell backward. He heard the guard yelled, but he didn't stay to see the nasty fall the girl will be receiving. He promptly continued up the stairs. That was the distraction he needed, if he was fast enough, he could shake them off in that class—.

Suddenly, just as he stepped onto the second floor, a thick book appeared out of nowhere and slammed into his face. He heard a crack and felt something warm ran down his nose before he, just like the girl, fell backward and down the stairs.

* * *

"Kid!" Cyril shouted as he watched the lavender-haired girl got kicked and fell backward. He stretched a hand out, trying to grab her, but she had fallen past him, just out of reach. "Sh- damn! You better pay for that, you fuc- imbecile!" Cyril fumed as he continued to ascend the stairs, just when he reached the landing, he heard a loud 'bam', followed immediately by the familiar sound of breaking bone and a wail of anguish. He looked up just in time to see the thief tumbled down the stairs and landed by his feet with a heavy thud, groaning in pain as he held a hand up to his bleeding nose.

"What in the world is going on here?!" A female voice with noticeable Japanese accent demanded from above. "What's all the rackets about?! What is this 'crime' I heard?!"

Cyril tore his eyes from the whimpering student to look up at the young woman standing at the top of the stairs. In her hands was a thick volume on literature's history; the obvious cause of the young man's injury.

"Well?!" The female student was now staring at him, waiting impatiently for the answers.

Cyril couldn't help but sent her a smirk. "Let's just say you're a heroine,  _liebling_."

* * *

"Kid!" Todd gasped in horror when he saw Cyril failed to grab Elkwood on time, and the small girl was going to land and tumble the rest of the way down.

"Elkwood!" He rushed up the steps, towards the girl. Everything seems to move in slow-motion as he reached just behind her. Elkwood collided into him by her side and both of his arms automatically pulled her into a protective embrace. His body tumbled backward from the force and he felt his balance leaving him.

Todd felt wind whisked past his ears before his whole body landed on the hard surface of the steps. Pain shot through his body and he couldn't hold back the yell. Soon, he felt gravity continued its work and hastily brought a hand up to protect the back of Elkwood's head while he ducked to protect his own.

The journey down the stairs was thankfully short, but when the two of them had finally rolled to a stop, Todd Allison felt as though he had been hit by a truck. He groaned before hissed in pain when he moved his arm. His shoulders and elbows felt awful and no doubt would be covered with bruises.

He tried to move his other arm and realized they were still on the back of Elkwood's head. He had landed on his back with Elkwood on top of him. "E-Elkwood. Hey, you're alright?"

The girl shifted before a low moan of pain escaped from her lips. She gently lifted her head, her mind slightly disoriented from the fall then connected her eyes with the redhead's. "A… Allison?"

_Good. She remembered my name._  Todd sighed in relief. "Hi, Elkwood. How are you feeling?"

"U-Urgh… my stomach hurts. And…" Her sentence trailed off when she noticed her hands were pressed against something warm and realized she had fallen onto him. "Oh my! I'm so sorry, Allison!" She quickly pushed herself up and moved her legs to get off the male redhead.

"It's alright," the young man uttered, pushing himself up to a sitting position. His whole body ached from the simple movement. "I'm just glad you're not seriously hurt."

"I'm so sorry, Allison," she repeated. "And thank you so much." Then, her eyes widened as she remembered something very important. "The thief! Did we get him?"

"Cyril wen—"

"Well chap, you're under arrest for thievery, frame-up and injuring a fellow student. Prepare to face the principal and your parents very soon." They heard Cyril spoke from above before peering up to see the tall man giving them a thumbs up for a job well done.

A wide grin appeared on Elkwood's face almost immediately after hearing the news. "We got him!" In a blink of an eye, she turned back to Todd and grasped onto one of his hands. "We cleared your name, Allison! That Lennon guy better apologizes to you later or else I'm reporting him."

"Yeah. It's all thanks to you…" Todd paused his sentence, his eyes never left the girl before him. Although it was short, he enjoyed this strange girl's presence. The whole experience was like a breath of fresh air. And he craved for more.

"It's Todd."

"Huh?" The girl questioned with a tilt of her head.

"My given name. It's Todd. I'm Todd Allison."

The confused look on her face was soon replaced by a bright smile and rosy cheeks. "Petunia. Petunia Elkwood. That's my name." Then, she shook the hand she had been holding since earlier as a modified handshake.

He shook back with a chuckle and a smile of his own. "Pleased to meet you, Petunia."

And that was the beginning of something great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of this chapter. Thank you for reading!
> 
> I hope the story is fine so far. Also, the Lennon student here is NOT an OC, but the blond guy involved in Todd's kidnapping, the one whom Petunia shot dead. And the thief, well, it's the same one from the webcomic, just aged down to fit the University College's AU.
> 
> Next, I would like to thank the following magnificent people for:
> 
> Kudos: 6 guests
> 
> Lastly, someone awesome uploaded the whole webcomic (and then some) to Imgur! Re-reading is so much easier than reading from The Wayback Machine. Here's the link: [Todd Allison and the Petunia Violet Webcomic @ Imgur](https://toddallisonpetuniaviolet.imgur.com/)
> 
> If you enjoyed and wanted to motivate me to write more TA&PV fanfics in the future, please leave a kudo, comment, bookmark and/or sub. They give me life.


End file.
